NATIONAL VIDEO

Early morning rain just a drop in the bucket

As turkeys were basted and casseroles cooked on Thursday morning, the rain trickling down kitchen windows was yet another blessing for which to be thankful.

Beginning with a trace of rain on Wednesday night, light to moderate rain fell through the night into Thursday morning, totaling 0.46 inches for the Gainesville area, according to Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport records. The good news — there’s more on the way.

National Weather Service forecaster Mike Leary said that although today is expected to be sunny — making for a good shopping day — more rain is predicted on Saturday.

Leary said there is a 70 percent chance of rain Saturday night, with Sunday holding a 60 percent chance of rain during the day.

He added that there is a 60 percent chance of rain for Monday,

before the area dries up again on Tuesday. The next bout of rain has been forecast for Thursday, but only a 20 percent chance.

Leary said that although the bit of rain that fell between Wednesday and Thursday could help the drought a little, no real significant rainfall has occurred.

There is still a rainfall deficit of about 18 inches across North Georgia.

However, this week’s rainfall could run off into Lake Lanier, adding precious depth to the lake’s dwindling level.

Late Monday night, Lake Lanier reached a new record low, falling to 1,052.62 feet above mean sea level, breaking the previous record low of 1,052.66 feet in December 1981. The lake’s water levels have slowly, yet steadily declined since Monday.

As of Thursday afternoon, Lake Lanier’s water level at the Buford Dam measured 1,052.28, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site.